Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey wants to see his team score touchdowns, he just doesn’t want to see the subsequent celebrations.

“Coach Mularkey made it clear that he wants us to hand the ball to the ref,” said wide receiver Brian Robiskie, according to Action News Jacksonville.

Mularkey will donate $250 to Ronald McDonald House when any player emulates Barry Sanders, acts like he’s been there before and merely hands the ball to the referee.

The Jaguars will match the donation to the charity, which aids families of critically ill children.

Some could see this as a veiled shot at the Jaguars’ biggest celebration artist, running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who is currently holding out.

NFL.com’s Steve Wyche dismissed that theory on Thursday’s “NFL AM.”

“I also don’t think that he would mock a charity that benefits ill children simply to spite a player who is not there,” Wyche said. “That would lose so much credibility as a human being. I know Mike Mularkey and I don’t think his character is that petty.”

We agree with Wyche — no coach would be that contemptible.

Analyst Mark Kriegel, on the other hand, seems to believe that is precisely what Mularkey is doing with his pledge.

“To me this is the most passive-aggressive thing I’ve seen since, like, Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s right out of her playbook,” Kriegel said. “That means the player he won’t speak to, the player he won’t call, every time he dares to celebrate he is in a position of costing Ronald McDonald house. If I’m MJD I write a big fat check to Ronald McDonald House right now.”

Share this:

Like this:

Guidelines: Fan feedback should be within the
guidelines for the NFL community. These guidelines will be used to identify those comments that will be removed from display
on the site. Please keep your comments relevant to the topic, not abusive or combatant towards other fans, and don’t share
any personal details. Use the “Report” link to help keep the community at its best.

Comments may be no longer than 2000 characters and will post to the site shortly after submitting.

NFL Network BlogNFL Network is a melting pot of gridiron greats from the NFL's past, present and future that will satiate the voracious appetites of millions of football fans across the country.